The game has changed dramatically in 12 months and it is music to the ears of all of us at the International Rugby Academy. The Tri-Nations is an example to all rugby coaches and competitions throughout the world. The game is now as it should be: a contest for possession, ability to make the gain line, 3 second ball, move to space, exploit space and score tries. Sounds easy, doesn't it and it is, if the players have the technical skill set to play this brand of rugby with accuracy. Clearly the All Blacks and Wallabies have this and the Springboks are not far behind. The All Blacks and Wallabies have been trying to play this game for a number of years now and have been held back by rules which encourage pedantic referees to stifle the match and be able to justify their whistle blowing. It is much harder for the referees to do this today and finally we have a game which will on the whole be won by the team with the most clever strategy and technical skills to match.
This has not gone unnoticed by many emerging rugby countries, who seek to rapidly develop their technical rugby levels by investing in high end development programs. We are experiencing a dramatic increase and inquiry level from outlying areas of the rugby world. I have mentioned in the past our foray into the US market and this continues to grow with the current initiative involving the inaugural collegiate competition. Four conferences, 31 teams with a good number interested in high level coaching services and consultancy. India created a budget for their national rugby team and attended IRANZ in force and recently for the first time, won two tournaments. Rugby India are now investing in their women's national rugby side. The Russians are coming, or we hope so at least. Great to see them inquiring at both 15's and 7's level.
To a rugby romantic like myself, this is wonderful news. I truly believe that rugby as a spectacle is currently unbeatable. I sat up in the middle of the night to watch the Soccer/Football World Cup, an outstanding event staged by South Africa, but I was disappointed. I was intrigued and appreciated the skill but not captivated. The major excitement of course was when a goal was scored and to be frank, there weren't enough of these. When I compare the non-stop and physical entertainment provided by rugby in 2010, it is indeed a no brainer.
We look forward to making our most significant contribution in 2011 to the global game and are poised to do so.
Mex
Follow Mex's blog on http://blog.internationalrugbyacademy.com/